The Aipa / SNI sting above measures in at 7’4″. Steve found this board at a garage sale, where it had been stashed away in the rafters. Even though it’s more than four decades old, the board remains in remarkably good condition. The airbrush on the deck is insane!

Now, this wouldn’t be a Shred Sledz production without overthinking some of the small details on the board. I couldn’t help but notice that the Surfing’s New Image logo has a slightly different font than other boards I have seen. The first image below is the logo from Steve’s board. Compare this to the second image, which is taken from a different Aipa / SNI sting I wrote up earlier. I don’t know enough about typefaces to describe the differences, but hopefully it’s pretty clear from comparing the two laminates.

Finally, Steve’s Aipa / SNI sting appears to be shaped by Mike Slingerland. This is denoted by the “S” that appears after the serial number along the stringer. See below for a close up.

I don’t know enough about Slingerland’s serial numbers to make any guesses as to when the board might have been shaped. The Aipa / SNI stings were produced in San Diego during the Seventies. I’ve read that the boards were shaped in the mid-Seventies, but I haven’t been able to verify that with anyone with first hand knowledge. For what it’s worth, the Aipa / SNI sting I wrote up last week has serial number 3828.

Mahalo Steve for sharing photos of this board, and I hope all of you got as much of a kick out of seeing this gem as I did!

Greetings, Shredderz! Look, I’m practically contractually obligated to write a blog post any time I see a rad little Aipa / Surfing’s New Image sting that’s listed for sale. There just so happens to be one such example listed on Craigslist. I’ve reproduced some of the photos from the listing below.

First, you’ll probably notice the beautiful gradient airbrush that decorates so many of these Aipa / SNI boards. I’m not sure who worked in the SNI factory during this time, but I’ve noticed that these boards almost always have killer airbrushes on them (check out this beaut, for example).

According to the seller, the Aipa / SNI sting measures in at 6’6″. Apparently this was not one of the stock lengths that the brand offered when the boards were made, and this had to be custom shaped. The seller claims the board is in all original condition, and while it’s not museum quality or anything, it’s obviously still in great shape.

Shout out to the seller, by the way, for taking great pics of a beautiful board. I also really dig the foliage in the background. It sounds petty, but one of my Craigslist pet peeves are people who insist on taking photos of beautiful boards set against some hoarder-like backdrops. Anyway, I digress!

One final little tidbit about this stick: I believe that it was actually shaped by Mike Slingerland, as evidenced by the “S” that appears on the stringer after the serial number. The vast majority of the Aipa / Surfing’s New Image stings I have seen were shaped by Rick Hamon, who went on to become a longtime in-house shaper at Rusty Surfboards. You see less of the Slingerland boards, and then every once in a while you’ll stumble across the Donald Takayama-shaped stings. I have only ever seen pictures of a handful of the Aipa / SNI stings shaped by Takayama.

The seller hasn’t mentioned a price — looks like he’s fielding offers for this stick. The board is located in South Florida. Check out the listing here and if you end up snagging this thing, please do give me an update.

Greetings, Shredderz! Today we have a contrast of two very different Surfboards Hawaii sticks. I love Surfboards Hawaii, and it’s maddeningly difficult to try and find information about the brand. Sadly, once SHACC took down Stoked-n-Board, researching Surfboards Hawaii got even harder. All I’ll say, though, is that Surfboards Hawaii was once home to both Dick Brewer and Ben Aipa, and that should settle any outstanding questions about the brand’s pedigree.

There are currently two very cool Surfboards Hawaii examples on sale on eBay. I wouldn’t say either is a particularly “classic” example from the label. I want to say the most coveted Surfboards Hawaii boards are the big elephant guns and noseriders from the Sixties, but don’t quote me on that. The Surfboards Hawaii vee bottom model — I have seen it referred to as the Hawaii V model — is also popular.

The first board in question is a Transition Era shape that’s currently listed for sale on eBay. It’s actually a Surfboards Hawaii Glass Slipper model, and you can find a link to the board here. The Glass Slipper surfboard is another well-known board with a history that’s tough to track down. Donald Takayama’s website credits DT with inventing the Glass Slipper during his days surfing Ala Moana Bowls on Oahu. I have also seen a Glass Slipper created under Takayama’s MTB label. The Glass Slipper surfboard pictured below was almost certainly shaped in the late Sixties, given the pronounced S Deck and the dimensions. It measures in at 7′ x 20 1/4″ x 3 1/8″. The seller claims it was shaped in 1969.

The photos above are courtesy of the eBay listing. There are some interesting things going on here. First is the unusual Surfboards Hawaii logo that reads “Just Honolulu, Hawaii.” For some period of time Surfboards Hawaii boards featured both Hawaii and Encinitas on their laminates. According to the seller of the Glass Slipper, during the late Sixties Surfboards Hawaii was sold back to someone in Hawaii, who then had new laminates printed up reading “Just Honolulu Hawaii.” Either way, I love it!

Here’s an example of a Surfboards Hawaii logo that has both Hawaii and Encinitas in the rectangle. Note that this one says “Haleiwa Hawaii” whereas I have also seen examples that say “Honolulu Hawaii”

The seller of the Glass Slipper is someone who has sold many vintage boards on eBay, and he clearly has a great collection and a ton of knowledge. He believes the Glass Slipper was shaped by Ben Aipa. However, I’m not as sure. All the Aipa / Surfboards Hawaii boards I have seen were all signed by Aipa and/or had different logos. Of course, it’s very possible that Aipa shaped boards for Surfboards Hawaii that didn’t have any markings. Therefore I’m not ruling out that the Glass Slipper was shaped by Aipa. But given Takayama’s involvement with the Glass Slipper model later on in his career, I’m wondering if this board wasn’t shaped by Donald.

Yet another example of a different Surfboards Hawaii laminate. You’ll see this one still has the “Just Honolulu, Hawaii” text, but then it clearly credits Ben Aipa with having shaped the board.

The other Surfboards Hawaii example listed for sale on eBay was shaped much later by Mike Slingerland. You can find a link to the board here. At some point, and I don’t know when, Surfboards Hawaii seemed to move most of its production to Southern California, enlisting shapers like Slingerland and Rick Hamon. Hat tip to Matt Johnson for giving me the heads up on the board!

The Slingerland single fin measures in at a tidy 5’11”. Judging from the seller’s comments, the board was purchased brand new in Laguna Beach and has been kept since then. It’s in stellar condition, with a few minor snackles that could easily be cleaned up. Oh, and as a diehard airbrush aficionado, you know I’m stoked about the spray job on this bad boy! I love the alternating patterns between the deck and the bottom.

What’s interesting to me about the Slingerland board is that it doesn’t have any Hydro branding. Many of Slingerland’s shapes for Surfboards Hawaii featured similar channel bottoms, and these boards often had Hydro laminates that touted this design. See below for another example of a Slingerland / Surfboards Hawaii board, with the exact same channel setup.

Another Surfboards Hawaii / Mike Slingerland Hydro board. Check out the channel bottom and yes, the exceptional airbrush as well!

Surfboards Hawaii is such a great brand with incredible history, and I love that there are two boards currently listed for sale that illustrate the variety of shapes made under the label. You can check out the Glass Slipper Model here and the Mike Slingerland single fin here.

There are few things more uncomfortable than watching an established older brand clumsily try to adopt a recent and unfamiliar trend. It’s the branding equivalent of a middle-aged guy rocking a pair of fancy jeans with embroidery on the back pockets. (I love Harbour Surfboards, but their 80s logo redesign is not my favorite.) Like any rule, though, there are exceptions. Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland surfboards stand out as the rare example of a venerable old surfboard that managed an elegant transition into producing “modern” shortboards.

There are two Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland shortboards currently up for sale on Craigslist, courtesy of Shred Sledz favorite “Jeff in LA”. I know nothing about Jeff except that he sells a lot of reasonably priced vintage boards on Craigslist, oftentimes with interesting SoCal pedigree. You can see his seller page here. The first board, pictured above, is an 80s 6′ quad fin, and the listing can be found here. Maybe my fondness for these board betrays my love of 80s surf graphics above all else, but I think this thing is so cool.

The second Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland board is a 6’6″ thruster (really a 2+1…or if you want to get technical, a 1+2), and the board can be found here. The “red logo” board has a bunch of Slingerland trademarks, including channels on the bottom with a complementary airbrush, and then a cool fan logo I had never seen before. Neither of the boards is expensive, either: $240 and $225 for the quad fin and the “red logo” thruster, respectively. These aren’t in mint condition, but I think a watertight board without any major surgery for under $250 isn’t too shabby.

Sadly, there is very little written online about the history of Surfboards Hawaii. Founded by Dick Brewer, Surfboards Hawaii produced some of the most elegant longboards of the 1960s. At some point, Mike Slingerland began to shape for the brand. My guess is that was sometime in the 1970s, and he stayed on at least through the 1980s. You don’t see a ton of Surfboards Hawaii examples from the 70s and the 80s, and of the ones I glimpse, many of them have Slingerland’s name attached. Most recently, Slingerland has been shaping boards for San Diego surf shop Surfy Surfy, and I believe he currently lives in San Diego.

The Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland boards could not be more different from their prececessors. And while the Slingerland examples are a far cry from the noseriders and subtle logos of the 1960s, they are undeniably rad in their own distinct way.

Greetings, Shredderz! I hope the stoke levels are high and climbing for each and every one of you. First and foremost, you may recognize a slight name change to our Peabody Award-winning series (Editor’s Note: definitely not), the Shred Sledz Weekend Grab Bag. We’re dropping the “Weekend” part of the moniker, given the fact our editorial staff moves with all the speed of a line at the DMV on a sunny Saturday. It shall henceforth be known as the Shred Sledz Grab Bag. New name, same collection of cool sticks. Anyway: onto the good stuff.

This thing was originally posted a few days ago, and then posted again without that lovely Rainbow Fin you can see in the third pic. Luckily, Shred Sledz goes to great lengths to preserve any evidence of rad surfboards online. Board is listed at $350 (without the fin, though!), which I think is quite fair given the board. Shrosbree is a favorite of surfboard aficionado Joel Tudor, which means he’s good enough for me! Check out the board at the link above.

This surfboard is unlikely to win any awards for political correctness any time soon. (Check the cartoon in the third pic, alongside the “Charlie Don’t Surf” lam). Questionable laminates aside, though, it is a beautiful example of a later-era Surfboards Hawaii semi-gun that looks to be in awesome condition. Love the colors alongside the stringer and the beautiful, era-correct Rainbow Fin, too. Original post seems to have been taken down, but I linked to an earlier one in the title above.

Can’t say this thing hasn’t seen better days. But shout out to the seller for being as up front as possible, going as far to recount a story about how the board flew off his roof rack while going 70 mph! There’s something sad about seeing someone sell a cherished board, but then again, it’s also an opportunity to score a funky little transitional shape for under $200 ($195, to be exact).

Cool little transitional shape for sale in Florida. G&S has a little info on this board on their own website. The Magic was invented towards the end of the summer in 1968. It was largely invented by Dennis Benadum, but apparently none other than Skip Frye also chipped in with the board’s design! See below for a picture of the original ad for the board, published sometime in the late 1960s, I believe. Seller is asking $500.

These “weekend” posts are increasingly stretching into Monday evening territory, so apologies for the delay. With that said, here’s a mix of some interesting surfboards I’ve come across recently.

Harbour Banana Longboard

Today’s post features not one, but two great deals regarding some Harbour boards. First is a Harbour Banana model for sale for $600 on Craigslist in Santa Ana, California (Orange County). You can find the board here. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Rich Harbour is charging an additional $500 just to hand shape a board! This thing is underpriced, considering. The Banana looks like it was shaped recently, it’s in great condition, and the listing has clear pictures of the signature. Check it here.

Harbour Spherical Revolver

This deal might be better than the first (and I’m sorely tempted to pull the trigger on this thing myself). There’s a Harbour Spherical Revolver for sale on Craigslist in Los Angeles that’s going for a mere $300. You can find the board here. The pictures on the post aren’t great, but there aren’t any major areas of concern I can identify off the bat. Now is as good a time as any to remind you that Shred Sledz’s Official Policy regarding these matters is that you should see a board in person before pulling the trigger.

Surfboards Hawaii Mike Slingerland Single Fin

First, the good news: there’s a Mike Slingerland-shaped Surfboards Hawaii single fin currently for sale on eBay, and it features a rad alternate logo that I have never seen before. You can find the link here. Right now, the bidding is at a mere $45. The bad news? The board has a pretty gruesome repair that needs to be re-done. Either way, it’s a cool example of a later-era Surfboards Hawaii board.

Guy Okazaki Single Fin

Guy Okazaki is a Venice-based shaper who has been plying his trade way before Venice was ever cool. There’s a 70s single fin he shaped that is currently for sale for $475 on Craigslist in Simi Valley, which is right outside of Los Angeles. You can find that link here. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about Okazaki himself, but this is a beautiful classic 70s single fin with a great rainbow fin, and it looks like it has been kept in pretty impeccable condition.

Bargain Bin

I won’t justify these with pics.

$80 for a Phil Becker-shaped Rick Board. Board isn’t in great condition, but $80 for a Becker Phil is worth mentioning. Craigslist, Orange County: link here.

$50 for a Russell single fin. Shawn Stussy used to shape for Russell back in the day; could be worth taking a flyer on this thing in the hopes that this could be true. Craigslist, Los Angeles: link here.

$300 for a Schroff shortboard. This price isn’t a bargain, per se — the board has the older logo and it’s not one of the obvious 80s versions that the collectors go crazy over. I’m having a hard time telling if this thing is a re-issue or if it really is vintage. Glass on fins are making me lean towards the latter but don’t quote me. It has some cool channels on the bottom, too. Craigslist, San Clemente: link here.

Surfboards Hawaii is a Shred Sledz favorite, and we’ve written about the brand many times before. While Surfboards Hawaii is best known for its early days, when Dick Brewer and Ben Aipa were mowing foam for early surf icons like Buzzy Trent, the brand has some interesting boards from its later years, too.

The board looks like it’s in excellent condition. I am a sucker for splashy (tacky?) neon spray jobs, and it doesn’t take much of an imagination to figure out why this board would be up my alley. Slingerland might not be one of the most famous shapers to have passed through Surfboards Hawaii’s doors, but he is an incredible shaper in his own right. These days Slingerland seems to be located in San Diego, where he can be found churning out boards for Leucadia surf shop Surfy Surfy.

I’d guess this board is from the late 70s or early 80s, given the paint job. Stoked-n-Board lists Slingerland as having shaped for Surfboards Hawaii from 1971 to 1978, which matches up to this time frame.

Pictured here is a 1970s Surfboards Hawaii Hydro model, shaped by Mike Slingerland, that recently sold on eBay. I think the brand has its strongest association with its noseriders from the 1960s, but this is a cool example of a different board from the storied brand.

Many shapers passed through Surfboards Hawaii, such as Dick Brewer and Donald Takayama. Slingerland might not be quite as famous as Brewer, but he is an incredibly well respected shaper in his own right. Nowadays he’s shaping a lot of boards for Surfy Surfy, which is a great shop down in San Diego.

As you can see, this board boasts an airbrush job that fits in right with the groovy 70s. It’s got some interesting channels on the bottom of the board, paired with a double wing in the tail.

I say coulda, shoulda, woulda because it turns out this board sold for under $200! Not bad, especially if you arranged for a local pickup instead of the $135 shipping option. You can still see the eBay post here.